Links, 9.06.10

Working it: This is a great day to review and consider resources that cover our ancestors’ working lives. “Business, Institution and Organization Records” by Kay Haviland Freilich and Ann Carter Fleming is a good overview. (It’s at Ancestry.com; subscription required.)

Immigrant stories: I’m sure there will be a lot of good stories out of this one: Ellis Island immigrant oral histories have gone online at Ancestry, part of a project begun in 1973 that encompasses 2,000 histories.

Start learning: It’s fall. The kids are back in school — what about you? I’m thinking about genealogy courses, and here are two upcoming examples. In New Jersey, the State Library is accepting registrations for seminars, both real-time and online. Some are definitely of interest to genealogy researchers: “Finding Your Ancestors” and “Sanborn Maps”. You can find the schedule by going to the link and clicking on the “Mid-Day Training” buttons at the right. If you’re interested in Pennsylvania, there’s a Crash Course in Pennsylvania Genealogy webinar coming up at the end of this month.

Illinois cemeteries: An update from the Illinois Farm Bureau a few days ago draws attention to a recent measure that apparently overhauls licensing and regulations for any cemetery that has money of any amount in a care fund (even tiny family burying grounds). I say “apparently” because the press release is not as clearly written as it could be — still, an interesting development.

Haunting: In Los Angeles, police work and genealogy are intersecting as investigators try to unravel the mystery of an old trunk containing the decades-old remains of two infants. The steamer trunk, found last month, had been abandoned in an apartment building’s basement; the ownership has been traced to a Scottish immigrant born in 1897 who worked as a nurse in Los Angeles before moving to Vancouver, where she eventually died.

Blog world: The Chicago Genealogy blog highlights a benefit to erect a memorial for the McCoy brothers, influential Chicago musicians who died within months of each other in 1950 and are buried in unmarked graves. … At Ties That Bind, a poignant reflection on holding on to family treasures — and letting them go. …. Finally, while trying to figure out the history of Labor Day, I stumbled upon Paterson Fire Journal, which blogs all about the history of fires and firefighting in Paterson, NJ. Fascinating anecdotes and pictures.

Hope you’re enjoying the holiday weekend — and here’s to a great fall.